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More than just a cat Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 3, 2008
In Brazilian Portuguese, the word “gato” has three very different meanings. 1. Cat Example: A velinha tem cinco gatos. The old lady has five cats. 2. Cute, hot, or attractive person Examples: Seu irmão é tão gato! Your brother is so cute! Eu acho ela muito gata. I think she’s really hot. 3. Stolen/illegal (usually…
A very unwelcome surprise Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 2, 2008
On Monday, a man driving his car in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais had a nasty surprise. As he was driving, a baby cascavel (rattlesnake) fell onto his lap. He immediately pulled over the car, and the authorities managed to capture the snake and bring it to the Polícia Ambiental (the Environmental Police). The man and…
Coming in the Near Future: Bullet Train Between Rio and São Paulo Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 1, 2008
Globo News announced that only in 2009 will the Ministry of Transportation open the bidding for companies interested in constructing a bullet train railway between the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. (In Portuguese, this bidding process is known as a leilão de licença. Leilão also means auction). A viability plan will be…
Brazilian City Spotlight: São Félix do Xingu Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 1, 2008
The municipality of São Félix de Xingu, population 60,000, is located in the northern state of Pará. Despite its modest population size, the city extends over 84,600 square kilometers, a space fifty-six times larger that the city of São Paulo, where ten million people live. For this reason, it’s the second largest municipality in Brazil…
Gostar Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 31, 2008
Gostar is an important verb to learn and is luckily fairly easy to use. It means “to like,” but is used in various contexts. Unlike the Spanish gustar, which is a bit tricky for English-speakers to learn, gostar is a completely regular verb. Here are of gostar‘s uses. First, in the present tense, it can…
Showing Surprise: Part II Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 28, 2008
To finish the week, we’ll look at three more expressions used to show surprise in Portuguese. 1. Puxa / puxa vida! (poo-shah / poo-shah vee-dah): Jeez! Man! Gosh! This expression is meant to show surprise, indignation, or frustration. Examples: Puxa! Esta cidade é bem cara. Man! This city is expensive. Puxa vida! Você esqueceu de…
Resolve a tua crise! Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 27, 2008
Globo News is reporting that Brazilian President Lula da Silva spoke to U.S. President George Bush twice on the phone today. President Lula claims that Bush was upset after the Brazilian leader had phoned U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently before communicating with him to discuss the U.S. economic crisis. And then, the best part…